Grain-separator.



No- 806,821. PATBNTED DEC. 12, 1905.

H. H. MEYER.

GRAIN SEPARATOR. APPLICATION FILED HAYS, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

.No. 806,821. PATENTED DEC. 12, 1905.

H. H. MEYER.

GRAIN SBPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED HAYS, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GHAIN-SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Dec. 12, 1905.

Application filed May 3, 1904. Serial No. 206,176.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY HERMANN MEYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Red Wing, in the county of Goodhue and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain- Separators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to grain-separators; and it consists of certain novel features of combination and construction of parts the preferred form whereof will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claim.

Theprime object of my invention, among others, is to provide a grain-separator which will be of very simple construction, but which will be found reliably efiicient in the performance of its office of separating the grain from the chaff and other foreign matter.

A further object is to provide means for grading the grain, whereby the heavier and more perfect grains will be wholly separated from the lighter and lessvaluable grains.

A still further object is to provide means of grading the grain so that there will be two or more grades thereof, as the heavier and perfect grains, the comparatively light grains, and the very light and practically worthless grains, as well as lighter seeds which may be mixed with the wheat as it enters my separator.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter clearly presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part of this application, and in which Figure 1 shows a perspective view of my invention complete ready for use. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section of Fig. 1, while Fig. 3 is a transverse section of Fig. 2, taken on dotted line 3 3 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

For convenience, the various details and cooperating accessories of my invention will be designated by numerals, the same numeral applying to a similar part throughout the several views, and, referringto the numerals on the drawings, 1 designates the easing of my grain-separator, which may be of any desired size and is preferably oblong in general form, though the bottom section resents a stepped-like formation, as wil be hereinafter particularly set forth. The said casing is supported in any'preferred way, as by the standards 2 .and the cross-bars or frame-sections 3, 4, and 5, suitable base members or feet-sections 6 being provided for said standards, if deemed desirable. The bot tom of the casing is so formed that a plurality of inclined ways or chutes will be provided, said inclined ways being designated by the numerals 7, 8, and 9, the latter being formed of closely-meshed wire of such character as will prevent any grain from passing through the same.

The guideway or chute 9 is provided with a receiving-hopper 10, which is placed in communication 1n any preferred way with a conveyer trough or pipe leading from the separator or source of supply for the threshed grain, it being understood that the receivinghopper 10 is entirely closed excepting for communication with said supply pipe or chute.

The casing 1, being wholly air-tight, is provided in its upper part with the suction-fan 11, mounted in suitable bearings in the fancasing 12, suitable openings 13 being left in each end of the casing 12, whereby the air from the interior of the casing can be drawn upon by the fan and forced out of the discharging-chute 14, which latter, it is obvious, may be properly connected with a conveyerchute which will carry away to the desired point all of the chaff, straws, or the like gathered by the fan from the interior of the casmg 1.

Each of the inclined ways or chutes 7, 8, and 9 is provided at its lower end with a flapdoor 15, which is directed normally downward by gravity and held closed by the suc tion of the fan, as will be obvious from 'a study of the character of the hinges of said doors.

The grain as it comes from the threshingmachine and commingled with chaff and other foreign particles is introduced into the receiving-hopper 10, which is so constructed as to direct it into the lower chute or guideway 9, and inasmuch as the air required by the suction-fan can only come upward through the meshes of the wire-cloth bottom of the chute or guideway 9 it follows that the chaff and lighter particles will be drawn upward and forced out of the chute 14 by the operation of the suction-fan 11. It is further obvious that as the grain travels downward by gravity upon the inclined way 9 the lighter grains will be lifted bodily upward and Will fall upon the guideways 7 or 8, according to their de' ree of lightness, it being obvious that the lig test of t e grains will be deposited upon the guideways 7, while the comparatively heavier grains will fall upon the guideways 8, suitable flanges 16 being located upon the inner edge of each of the guideways 7 and 8, whereby the grains deosited upon said guideways cannot casually fall off the, same, but will be directed downward by the flanges 16 to the lower end of said ways, and thence out through the flapdoors 15. As before stated, the tendency of the suction induced by the fan 11 will be to hold the doors normally closed; but as the grain accumulates at the lower end of each of the guideways the weight thereof will be sufficient to partly open the doors and allow a continuous stream of the grain to pass outward, it being obvious that suitable receptacles for the graduated grain will be provided,

thus insuring that the wheat will be separated into three grades or qualitiesnamely, the heaviest and perfect grains, the comparatively lighter grains, and the light, chaffy, and comparatively worthless grains.

It is obvious that my grainseparator or cleaner and grader will not only be useful for separating the newly-threshed grain combined with chafi? and the like, but will be especially desirable and valuable for millers use in separating the heavier and perfect igrrains from the wheat which they receive om the market, thus enabling them to produce a higher grade of flour as a result. My improved separator and grader will also be very valuable and important for use in preparing seed-wheat, inasmuch as all foreign seeds, as cockle-seeds, of obnoxious weeds, &c., will. be removed, leaving only the perfect wheat-berry to pass out of the lower end of the chute or guideway 9.

In the present instance I have shown the fan-as driven by the power-wheel 17, cooperating with the driving-belt 18, though it is obvious that my machine may be made any desired size and be driven manually or by other power, as preferred.

In grading and cleaning different kinds of grain it is necessary to have a greater or less volume of air pass into the fan, and in order to regulate the flow of air into the opening 13 I provide slides 19, which are mounted in suitable guideways 20, secured to the side of the casing 12. Mounted in any convenient manner to the upper side of the fan-casing 12 is a shaft or winding-drum 21, to which are attached and adapted to wind thereon cables 22, one end of which is in turn secured to'the said wheel. and retain the slides in their adjusted position. It will also be seen that said wheel 23 will serve as a crank to rotate the winding drum or shaft 21 when desired.

The various parts of my invention may be cheaply and expeditiously manufactured and each readily assembled in its respective operative position, and while I have described the preferred combination and construction of parts I wish to comprehend in this application all substitutes and equivalents that may be considered as falling fairly within the scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described the construction and manner of using my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In'a suction grain-separator, the combination with a casing having its bottom of steplike formation with a plurality of inclined chutes on opposite sides of the central chute which is lowermost, the said central chute having a bottom of closely-meshed reticulated material, a hopper for the central chute, said casing being wholly air-ti ht, a suctionfan mounted in bearings in sai casing, a flapdoor for each chute at the lower end thereof exteriorly of the casing and opening outwardly, and downwardly inclined normally and held closed by the suction of said fan, the said chutes having flanges upon their inner edges extended above the bottoms of the adjacent chutes whereby a suction induced through the mesh-wire bottom will act upon the grain thereon and remove all lighter particles and grade the grain by leaving the relatively heavier grains in each succeeding chute,

and a supporting-frame between the sides of which said casing is supported with its lower end out of contact with the ground, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY HERMANN MEYER.

Witnesses:

G. H. DIEPENBROOK, GEO. F. MEYER.

IIO 

